It’s no secret that MMA is a grueling sport. Injuries occur everywhere from the training room to the cage, and sometimes even beyond that.

Injuries can cause the best set plans to fall by the wayside, derail careers or worse. Still, though, the overwhelming majority of fighters in the sport overcome their physical setbacks and eventually find their way back to competition.

Below MMAjunkie tracks the latest in notable MMA injuries, including the latest on a UFC heavyweight contender, a former interim titleholder and a bantamweight prospect on the rise.

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Derrick Lewis (19-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) tells MMAjunkie that, after visiting the doctor on Thursday, his left hand has officially been cleared for full contact after he injured it in a February win over Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 126. Lewis is scheduled to fight Francis Ngannou (11-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in a heavyweight bout at UFC 226 on July 7.

Tony Ferguson (23-3 MMA, 13-1 UFC) had the staples removed from his left knee following surgery on the torn LCL that forced him to withdraw from the UFC 223 main event vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov in April. The former interim UFC lightweight champ has not revealed a timeline for his return.

Sean O'Malley (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) travelled to the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas on Wednesday, where he’ll be for the next two weeks to continue rehab on the right-foot injury sustained in his victory over Andre Soukhamthath at UFC 223 in March. The bantamweight prospect underwent surgery on March 23 and hopes to return in the fall.

Ed Herman (23-13 MMA, 10-9 UFC) is ahead of schedule with his recovery following a complete ACL reconstruction surgery earlier this year. “The Ultimate Fighter 3” finalist is targeting his next fight for September or October, and will remain in the UFC light-heavyweight division.

Brandon Girtz (15-8 MMA, 7-6 BMMA) underwent right shoulder surgery this week to repair the damage sustained in his main-event loss to Michael Chandler at Bellator 197 in April. Although early in the recovery process, Girtz has already expressed a desire to fight again this year.

For more on the MMA schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.